Avoid buying your textbooks new:
Not only is buying a huge stack of new books every semester incredibly expensive, it’s also not the most environmentally-friendly option. For an option that’s more sustainable for both the planet and your wallet, try using one of the following tried-and-true methods to get your books (when you can):
- The Walker Lounge Book Room: Search the catalog available and check to see whether a generous 5C student has donated any of the books you need for your classes. The chances are good!
- 7C For Sale/Free: Join the 7C-wide Facebook page and search for the name of your class or a book title. Especially for intro classes, there’s a good chance of finding the books you need.
- Thriftbooks, World of Books, etc: You can find almost any textbook available online, used, for much cheaper than it would be new. Your classmates might have good recommendations!
7C For Sale/Free:
Do you need a mattress topper? A mini fridge? Lots and lots of plants? Look no further than the 7C For Sale/Free Facebook page, where you’ll find all of these things and much more, either for free or at a greatly reduced price (and all used) from fellow 5C students.
Check out to join!
Consider trying plant-based alternatives:
Having access to 5C dining provides a great opportunity to incorporate more plant-based meals into your daily life, without the barrier of meal-planning, grocery shopping, and cooking. Frary Dining Hall has meatless Mondays, which are a great way to get started.
Shorten your shower by a few minutes:
Southern California is in an extreme drought, and one of the easiest ways to conserve water while living on campus is to take shorter showers. According to the most showers use about 2.5 gallons of water per minute, so even reducing your shower time by 5 minutes could save around 12.5 gallons of water per shower (an amount that really adds up over time)!
Public transportation:
While Los Angeles isn’t known for its public transportation, the Metrolink and Foothill Transit (the public bus system) are great affordable options. You can get a free from the TCCS Connection in Honnold Mudd Library, which gives you unlimited rides on Foothill Transit buses – your pass can even get you to Downtown LA!
Jonna Sobeloff-Gittes is a sophomore from Moscow, Idaho and is majoring in International Relations.